Sick for the fifth time in 2 months

I have been here for 4 months, and for the past two I feel like I have been sick constantly, pretty much every other week I get the flu or a cold or a sinus infection. I assume that my immune system isn't accustomed to the strains of viruses and bacteria over here and this is probably normal.

I am curious if my situation is typical or if it is worse than usual. Also, if you went through something similar when you first settled in, how long can I expect this to last? Is there anything I can do at home to keep myself healthier? At this point I am just sick of being sick!

Poor you!  Have you seen a doctor?  I seem to remember being sick a lot my first year -- people left baskets of Ribena and other nostrums at my door!  Then I went through a spell of getting conjunctivitis every time I got a cold.  All I can recommend is getting lots of vitamin C and wash your hands constantly.  And have some nice hot chicken soup!

It's been a few years now, but I still remember getting knocked sideways with the flu the second week I was in the UK.  I also remember having more colds than usual for the summer time and that was about 3-4 months into my move.  Not sure if everyone experiences it, but I did and it was annoying.  It does pass though. I now get colds about twice a year, so pretty average.

I haven't been to the doctor yet. I don't drive yet and my husband is away during the week because he is in the Royal Navy, so I have to go through the hassle of catching the bus to get into town and I don't think its best for me to stand out in the cold when I am in this state.

I've been here two months and spent most of it with a tissue up my nose - runny nose, coughing and sneezing.  Seriously, I couldn't go ANYWHERE without a roll of papertowels.

Had a bad viral infection in mid-October (same time everyone was getting it), and it's hard to tell if the cough since then is lingering from that or something else.

I'm really allergic to moulds, pollens, dusts, etc.  Usually, late Autumn is the one time of year I'm not so bad.  Since my trip to the GP, I got a prescription for Flixonase (US Flonase) and the runny nose and sneezing has all but stopped.

Cough is getting better.  The GP told me to up my Vit C intake - which I did along with other multi-vitamins and generally trying to get my immune system up.  People swear by Zinc lozenges, but since you have to take them at the first sign of a cold, I'm always too late by the time I think of them.

I was considering going back to insist on an antibiotic, (sometimes the cough is pretty annoying) but in the last week, it had really gotten much better.  

If it really is just a cold there is nothing the doctor will/can do for you.  My husband has asthma and a bad cough and they told him not to come in unless the cough lasted longer than two months.  

I've been here two months and spent most of it with a tissue up my nose - runny nose, coughing and sneezing.  Seriously, I couldn't go ANYWHERE without a roll of papertowels.

Had a bad viral infection in mid-October (same time everyone was getting it), and it's hard to tell if the cough since then is lingering from that or something else.

I'm really allergic to moulds, pollens, dusts, etc.  Usually, late Autumn is the one time of year I'm not so bad.  Since my trip to the GP, I got a prescription for Flixonase (US Flonase) and the runny nose and sneezing has all but stopped.

Cough is getting better.  The GP told me to up my Vit C intake - which I did along with other multi-vitamins and generally trying to get my immune system up.  People swear by Zinc lozenges, but since you have to take them at the first sign of a cold, I'm always too late by the time I think of them.

I was considering going back to insist on an antibiotic, (sometimes the cough is pretty annoying) but in the last week, it had really gotten much better.  

I have allergies to mold and pollen and all kinds of other things too. I used to use Flonase when I was in the States, maybe its time to get back on something like that.

I do think that getting an annual flu shot has helped reduce the number of colds I get per year.  But of course not everyone would be eligible for flu shots in UK!

Sorry you aren't well.  The first time I went to London (one year ago) I became deathly ill two days after I got there, which REALLY sucked, as it was supposed to be the best week of my life and instead I ended up curled up in a ball in a seriously crappy hotel room, missing most of what I had planned to do.  A UK doc (I paid for private care) gave me some sort of antibiotic, but it didn't work.  I was sick for a month.  Finally had some tests run in the states and it turned out I had a serious strep infection. 
I have been living here for nearly 5 months now and haven't been sick once, which really surprises me!  Maybe it was because I got so sick when I came over before, so even though you feel bad, at least maybe you won't get sick again for a long time after you fight this one off!  Get some of that strong cough syrup Cavonia or whatever its called and take lots of vitamin C tablets, maybe that will help.  Or take some Lemsip.  DH swears by just drinking hot toddies and trying to stay in bed, so maybe you could be English and drink your way through your illness... 

I got here in July and proceeded to feel like I had either a heavy cold or even flu for two weeks following my arrival.

I don't know about your continuing illness, but at least for the initial bout I put mine anyway down to airplane cabin air, which is the theory one hears most often about illness after flying -- the air is recirculated and all it takes is for one person on your flight to have a bit of a bug, some flu or a cold incubating, and anyone else susceptible is going to wind up with it too after they land.

It could be bad luck.  I have had a terrible cold/flu thing (cough still hasn't really gone) plus a nasty tummy bug in the past three weeks, and I'm a Brit!  It is a nasty time of year for bugs and viruses, and almost everyone I know has come down with something recently.


Vicky

Some people have better immune systems or a better ability to fight it all off. I wasn't sick much at all when I first moved to the UK though all my flatmates had the flu. Now I've just moved back to the US and everyone in the house got a NASTY tummy bug (almost put my Mom in the ER) but I barely had it.

BTW, if you really have flu, it can take a month or more to clear your system. People tend to call bad colds flu, though...

DH and I both had the flu in February and it was awful.  I was in bed for 5 days.  It took about a month for us to get back on our feet. 

When I moved to the UK, I got sick a lot.  I think it was being on transport so much because it seemed like everyone who sat next to me had a wet, TB-like cough.  I lived on Night Nurse for about 6 monts.

Our first winter here was very difficult.  Our oldest was in the hospital with double pneumonia and both our youngest and myself had horrible coughs.  I was at our surgery at least once a week.  I coughed so much that I pulled a muscle in my side and was in pain for months. 
We are heading into our 4th winter here.  Our oldest gets coughs and colds, but not to the point of being hospitalized.  Our youngest has been diasnosised with asthma and  just started her 'coughing all night' phase.  So far, knock on wood, I have not had to start my asthma inhaler. 
It will get better.   

I've been sick since the second day we got here